"The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.

Two U.S. Supreme Court rulings in 2008 and 2010 clarified the meaning of the Second Amendment. In District of Columbia v. Heller, the Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. It further held that three Washington, D.C. ordinances banning usable firearms in the home were in violation of the Second Amendment. In McDonald v. Chicago, the Court determined that the Second Amendment limits state and local governmental authority to the same extent that it limits federal authority. The Supreme Court also stated that its ruling was not to be taken as an indication that all firearm restrictions are unconstitutional."